Resolfen 1

Length: 43.09 km

If ever a stage summed up the Wales Rally GB, this is it. Resolfen is easily the longest competitive special stage of the rally, and it is awesome !

So many competitors have come unstuck here simply because of the brutal nature of the surface, and the constant battle against the elements. Every driver needs to concentrate 100% every metre of the 43 km. Only a few ever dare to take on this stage at maximum attack - it's not for the faint-hearted !

In 2003, Resolfen has 90% the same route as 2002, and a slightly modified finish.

How to get there?

Scenery heading towards Cymer

Junction heading towards Glyncorrwg

Downhill view from junction

Entrance to car parking area (Car Park K)

As the stage is so long, there are several places to spectate at. In previous years, some have parked on top of the Rhigos mountain and then walked to the stage. This option was not available in 2002 as the Rhondda stage was not being used. But in 2003 Rhondda is back and although Rhondda 1 and Rhondda 2 are Stages 16 and 17, there were some who thought these car parks would be used for Resolfen. However, we now know this to be not true. Car Park B (as was) is not being used for Resolfen, but is being used for Rhondda as Car Park U.

Because of it's length, Resolfen has a lot of car parks - 4 in fact. The car park which you head for will depend on what ticket you have. For more information on this, check the Tickets section of this website. For example, in 2002 I had the Event Pass 2, and had to go to Car Park B (as was then). These notes will direct you to Car Park K.

From the M4 motorway, come off at Junction 40, signposted the A4107. At the end of the slip road, turn left at the roundabout (if you were heading South on the M40). You will come to another mini-roundabout. Turn LEFT. This is not signposted at all, and is an easy point to go in the wrong direction.

You will now be heading towards Cymer. The road is twisty but has a good surface. There is Forestry Commission land either side of you, and as such the scenery is spectacular (see first picture on left). From here the road climbs steadily all the way into Cymer.

When you approach Cymer you will notice a shop and a police station, and in the centre of town you will pass a modern swimming pool. Continue for 0.2 miles and you will approach a very tight left-hand junction heading down the hill towards Glyncorrwg. The second picture on the left shows the actual junction. As you can see if you enlarge the picture, this junction is just before a National petrol station.

From this junction, continue down the hill and you will see a view towards Abercregan (see third picture on left). Drive over the bridge and down the very steep hill, and around the tight right-hand hairpin. After 0.1 miles, take the first turning on the left.

Go through the traffic lights on the hill, and continue towards Pont-rhyd-y-fen (cycle route).

After approximately 1 mile you will enter a very small village called Abercregan. Continue until you see the Afan Christian Fellowship building in front of you (see fourth picture on left). From this point, don't follow the road around to the left but instead carry straight on, on to the dirt track. The marshalls will be here, and you will continue to drive on this road until you reach the car parking areas.

Car Park I is very easy to get to, especially if you know the area around the Rheola stage. It is accessed off the A4061 to the south of the A465 at Hirwaun.

From the A465, turn onto the A4061 at Hirwaun, signposted towards Treorchy and Treherbert. At the next roundabout turn left to continue on the A4061. After approximately 0.5 miles you will pass the entrance to Car Park I on your right.

Stage Maps

Thanks to Multimap.com, you can now view Stage Maps here.

Click here for the SS5 access to Car Park J (1:25000).
Click here for the SS5 access to Car Park K (1:25000).
Click here for the SS5 access to Car Park L (1:25000).
Click here for the SS5 start area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS5 start area (1:50000).
Click here for the SS5 finish area (1:25000).
Click here for the SS5 finish area (1:50000).

Hints and Tips

Congestion at Car Park B in 2002 (not being used for Resolfen this year).

Resolfen is a very popular stage because of it's brutality to the drivers, and also the abundance of spectator points. If you intend to see this stage, make sure you leave plenty of time to get to the point which you want to spectate at.

Do not try to access the villages of Blaengwrach and Cwmgwrach, as these will be closed for spectators. There is not much at these villages anyway, so best advice is to keep away.

In 2003, if you want to spectate at Resolfen 1 you will need to buy either the World Rally Pass, either of the 3 Event Passes, either of the 3 Friday Pass 1's or the Forest Stage ticket 2. There will be tickets available on the day for Resolfen 1 (subject to availability) except Car park J.

For full ticket details, including advice, you will be able to find out all the information you need in the Tickets section.

In 2002, Car Park B (as was) was gridlocked for an hour because of the way some people had parked (because spectators were late arriving). Don't be the ones to hold up all the traffic ! The picture on the left shows what the congestion was like. This car park is not being used for Resolfen this year, but still take note - this could be any car park.

Parking Information

The area of parking near to the caves (Car Park K)

View from parking area towards stage (Car Park K)

The parking area further towards the stage (Car Park K)

There is an abundance of parking areas at Resolfen. Although some spectators who know the area well will still park on top of the Rhigos mountain and walk down to the stage, you are better advised to keep to the official car parks I, J, K and L.

Car Park L is easily found in the village of Resolfen, and is a good surface to park on. It is also quite a lively overnight parking area, but because of this is very busy. In 2001, it was reported that the whole area was grid-locked in the morning for those who hadn't parked overnight. In 2002, this had improved, but bear this in mind, and allow plenty of time, even with the new ticketing situation.

Once you get past the first gate you will pass some local houses, and arrive at another gate with a cattle grid. Once in this area you can park anywhere, as long as you are not obstructing the flow of traffic in and out.

Car Park K is the car park where there is access to a fantastic uphill hairpin, and is therefore also very popular. It is usually open overnight (but nothing confirmed yet for 2003), and usually reasonably lively, with a great deal of cover from rain if required.

The road surface is very good at first as you head from the Afan Christian Fellowship, but it then has a very rutted section before the caves or "grottos" where you will need to take extra care if you are not driving a 4x4. The first picture on the left shows the area just after the rutted section heading towards the caves.

As you drive past the caves the area on the right of the road falls away very steeply into the valley, so extreme caution needs to be taken here.

The road surface does quickly improve, and although the gravel is slippery underfoot (or tyre !) it is not too rutted and should therefore be easy to drive on or walk on as you approach the wooded area. The second picture on the left shows the view from the car parking area all the way up to the wooded area, where the car park joins the stage itself.

As you can see from the picture, the walk to the stage is quite uphill and long (2.3 miles from the caves to the stage itself), so you will need a good pair of walking boots.

Once you have walked through the wooded area you will approach an open area where the road forks left and right. Take the right fork and you are now only 0.2 miles from the stage.

How far to the stage?

The hairpin, showing the marshalls and spectators on the slopes

Resolfen is a stage where you are rewarded with spectacular spectating points if you are prepared to do a bit of walking.

From the caves in Car Park K to the hairpin on the stage, it is 2.3 miles. The further you can drive up the hill into the wooded area, the less you will have to walk.

Car Park L is the easiest of the car parks to access the stage, as it runs parallel to parts of the competitive sections. If you park near to the second gate with the cattle grid mentioned above, you will have a variety of spectator points all within easy reach. The main track to the stage is literally 5 to 10 mins away, but if you carry on for a further 10 mins up a steep gravel hill you will reach an excellent hairpin.

Car Parks I and J only have catering. There are no toilet facilities.

Car Park K has catering and toilet facilities, as this caters for a large amount of spectators.

Car Park L has catering and toilet facilities, and has a very good surface. This also has a large amount of spectators.

Catering

The area between the catering and the stage itself (Car Park K)

The catering on Car Parks K and L are large catering vans, to cater for the large amounts of spectators expected.

Car Park J is a larger area than K and L, but catering here can sometimes be very busy as it is sometimes a smaller van than the other two.

Car Park K's catering van is situated near the fork at the open area, just before you access the stage at the hairpin. The first picture on the left shows the view to the stage from the catering.

All catering is of the same high standard located at most of the other stages.

The village of Cymer does not have a great deal of facilities, but it does have 1 shop, 1 petrol station (National) which is quite expensive and rather surprisingly a very modern swimming pool, where you could have a shower if you asked very nicely.

Once you get past Cymer, there is not really anything else, so if you need petrol or food you are well advised to get it in Port Talbot as you head off the M4, or on any of the M4 services (The Swansea West services are between Junctions 46 and 47).

If you are parking at Car Park L, the village of Resolfen does not have many facilities but there are some petrol stations on the A465 between Neath and Glyn Neath, and also a McDonalds restaurant.

If you are parking on top of the Rhigos mountain (if you want to risk that option of it being "open"), there is a privately-owned petrol station in Treherbert called New Road Garage, which is slightly more expensive than supermarkets but is owned by a rally fan so is well worth a visit just for that reason! The garage also stocks the usual sweets, drinks, cigarettes, etc.

Best spots for spectators

The hairpin you can walk to from Car Park K

Another view, showing the ascent up the hill

The hairpin reached by walking from the Rhondda car parks

View down the stage from the hairpin

View from hairpin towards the stage finish

As mentioned previously, there are a spectacular amount of excellent spots for spectators on Resolfen.

The first spot I would suggest is the excellent uphill hairpin you can walk to from the Car Park at Cymer (K). The first picture on the left shows the hairpin itself, and how incredibly rutted the road surface is here. The competitors approach from the side of the trees, and power-slide round this corner. Look at the Gallery section from 2001 to see some great pictures from this point.

The second picture is from the hairpin again, with a view up the hill as the cars accelerate. The position from where this photograph was taken would be the ideal spectating point, but will not be allowed on the day, as too much gravel and stones will be thrown up by the drivers, and you will be in the middle of their "run-off" area if anyone overshoots the bend. There is plenty of banking around, and everyone should get a decent view of the action.

The second spot I would suggest is further on in the stage, and actually about 7km from the first 2 pictures. You can walk to it from here, but you are probably better off walking from the car parks at the top of the Rhigos mountain (if they are open). The third picture shows the point where the drivers approach very quickly downhill towards this hairpin and then continue with their descent down the mountain. There is excellent banking on the left for spectators, but it is always busy.

The fourth picture is the view from the hairpin down towards another sharp right-hand corner. The road surface will be good for the first few competitors, but soon becomes very rutted at this point. In the past, BBC cameras have been at this point, maintaining the view that this is a great spectator point.

The fifth picture shows the view from the hairpin across the valley towards the stage finish. This is a great place if you wish to time the top drivers, as you can gauge how fast some drivers attack this section compared to others. Not only can you see the drivers as they disappear into the distance, but you can also hear them for miles - there is no better sound in this type of valley than rally cars attacking a stage !